Janna's View: Farmer's Day - Past and Present

On Friday morning, August 1, 2013, I received a phone call with some news.

News I cannot share on social networking yet.

But it was news that sent my emotions all over the place.

News that set the memories in motion.

What action to take was all that was on my mind as I awaited further updates as the day went on.

But since there was nothing I could do about the situation at hand except pray and wait, I decided to go ahead and go through with our plans for the weekend.

And Farmer's Day 2013 was the plan.

I do not have a hometown. Not really. My dad was a preacher so we moved. As I was growing up, I claimed my mom's hometown as mine no matter where we lived. And in fact, I was born while my parents were living in that town. My parents married and moved into the brand new parsonage at Brown's Chapel. My sister, brother, and I were all born as residents of Robbins. We moved away when I was 9 months old. But we visited often and I would stay for weeks at the time during the summers. And that is when the tradition of Farmer's Day began for me. I would go "over town" on Friday night, my Grandma Beck would make milk gravy and biscuits on Saturday morning, and then we would go to the horse parade. I do not remember the first Farmer's Day I attended but I do remember the first time I saved up my money to buy a Farmer's Day t-shirt. It was black with white writing. I was in 6th grade. And the only Farmer's Day I've ever missed since I was a little girl was in 1993. I had met my future husband that spring and his father flew us down to Florida for a visit and to take a 1 day cruise to the Bahamas. I had a great time on the 1 day cruise with my fiance, my future stepdaughter and my future father-in-law but I really did miss being at Farmer's Day. I have not missed one since then and until Rob died, he did not miss one either unless he had a funeral (he was a preacher). And since my children moved around too, family traditions were important to maintain. The weekend of the first Saturday in August of every year is always set aside for Farmer's Day and family - and I sure do miss my grandma's milk gravy.

FARMER'S DAY 2013

Since we now live near this town and we attend a church in this town, we sure do know a lot more people here than we used to. From the moment we stepped out of the car, we were saying hello to people we know. One of my sons said to me, "Mama, it's almost like we really belong here now."

I met the boyfriend I had as a senior in high school on this curb. He wasn't from this town. He was there for Farmer's Day just like I was. I was standing there with my aunt and my cousin. He was one of my cousin's baseball coaches. He stopped to talk to them and that's how we met. He dumped me on my 18th birthday - after he gave me a pearl necklace. I always thought he sure could have waited at least one more day so it would not have been on my 18th birthday. After I married Rob, I told him the story and almost every year at Farmer's Day, he would smile as we went by that spot and say, "Aren't you glad he dumped you?"

So as we were going by that spot Friday evening, I smiled as I remembered and I said to the boys (Anna was walking around with Casey), "That's where I met my high school boyfriend." Wesley replied with, "The one who dumped you on your 18th birthday?" Obviously, he's heard the story over the years!

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FARMER'S DAYS PAST

Wendy

My Grandma Beck is in the bottom left photo on this page and upper right of the next. They're the only ones of her at Farmer's Day that I could find. I miss her.

Crystol's first Farmer's Day - 1994. She's carrying my first cousin, Caleb.

Anna's first Farmer's Day - 1997

Casey and Anna

Wesley's first Farmer's Day - 2000

This is the closest I came to finding photos of Luke's 1st Farmer's Day - I am pregnant with him in this photo. My photos from 2003-2008 are somewhere that I cannot seem to find since moving this last time. I will add photos of Luke when I finally find them!

Anna and Casey over the years

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FARMER'S DAY 2009

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FARMER'S DAY 2010

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FARMER'S DAY 2011

Our last Farmer's Day with my Rob. Our last one as a complete family. Rob died 6 weeks later.

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FARMER'S DAY 2012

Our first Farmer's Day without Rob. It was so difficult. We missed him so. It helped that baby Mason was with us. It was his very first Farmer's Day. It was fun to watch him watch the horses go by in the parade.